Nope, you read that correctly! A backpack that can think for itself… what a time to be alive!
While Google fights for market dominance in the smartphone arena, the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has recently approved a patent from Microsoft for a ‘smart’ backpack with artificial intelligence enabling capabilities.
The patent submitted from the tech giant referred to “wearable devices” with AI components but the illustrations specifically show a backpack. So how on earth will it work?
Apparently, it will have sensors, a GPS tracker, compass, camera, and microphone. And if that isn’t enough, speakers, LED, and a haptic control system are included too. It would appear that the idea behind the concept is not only to act as a directional locator but also to recognize speech, text, locations, images, faces, and to even be connectible to a computer or cloud service.
Certainly, the advantages of such tech are immediately apparent. Translate foreign languages, determine immediate location, plan routes, access services even in the remotest areas, etc.
This is, it has to be said, only an approved patent. In other words, it’s just an idea at present and not something ready to hit the market by next Tuesday. But it is, admittedly, an intriguing prospect and one to keep your eyes on.
